BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 6, 2015) - On Friday, the 17th-ranked and top-seeded LIU Post men's soccer team defeated second-seeded New York Institute of Technology, 3-0, to capture the 2015 East Coast Conference Championship at Pioneer Soccer Park.

The Pioneers (14-2-2) have now won three of the last four ECC titles.

In the first half, LIU Post got the majority of the scoring chances, but NYIT (12-6-1) graduate keeper Alvaro Cruz (Madrid, Spain) made four saves in the opening 45 minutes to keep the match scoreless.

During the second half, the Pioneers turned up the offense.

In the 57th minute, LIU Post was awarded a free kick within striking distance. Senior midfielder Matias Ruiz (Southampton, N.Y.) sent a ball into the box that fellow senior midfielder Per Forgaard (Stavanger, Norway) headed into the mesh for the go-ahead tally.

Then, in the 77th minute, graduate back Seb Baxter (Saffron Walden, England) headed home a Ruiz corner that widened the Pioneers' advantage to 2-0.

With time winding down in the second half, the green and gold capitalized on an odd-man rush back up the field. Forgaard tapped in a Jason Lampkin (Hawardon, North Wales, U.K.) one-touch to seal the victory.

Junior keeper Jesper Malmstrom (Linkopping, Sweden) made four saves in the contest to preserve the clean sheet. With two goals, Forgaard was named the tournament's Most Oustanding Player.

Head Coach Andreas Lindberg and the Pioneers now await word on a potential bid to the 2015 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship. Fans can watch the selection show live on Monday (Nov. 9) at 6 p.m.